1. Field
This invention relates to a simulation system for training individuals on the usage of an unstabilized weapon.
2. Background
As understood in this document, a simulation system is a physical structure in which real people and/or real objects may move, change location, possibly interact with each other, and possibly interact with simulated people and/or simulated objects (whose presence may be enacted via visual projections, audio emissions, or other means) typically in order to train for, prepare for, experience, analyze, or study real-life, potentially real-life, historical, or hypothetical situations, activities, or events. Simulations may be conducted for other purposes as well, such as educational or entertainment purposes, or for analyzing and refining the design and performance of mechanical technologies (such as cars or other transportation vehicles, weapons systems, etc.). The simulation as a whole may also be understood to include any technology which may be necessary or desirable to implement a simulation environment or simulation experience.
Realistic simulations of events play a key role in many fields of human endeavor, from the training of police, rescue, military, and emergency personnel; to the development of improved field technologies for use by such personnel; to the analysis of human movement and behavior in such fields as athletics and safety research. Increasingly, modern simulation environments strive for a dynamic, adaptive realism, meaning that the simulation environment can both provide feedback to individuals in the environment and can modify the course of the simulation itself in response to events within the simulation environment.
Simulation training has typically been restricted to fixed locations in which permanent or semi-permanent structures are constructed to contain the necessary computers and equipment required to present a simulated environment. The lack of mobility of such a simulation system therefore limits accessibility by individuals who need to be trained.
Further, a simulation environment should mimic the actual environment as closely as possible. However, presenting an accurate environment, especially given some of the current complexity and mechanical make-up of current weapon systems, is becoming increasingly difficult. For example, a gun, such as a .50 caliber M2, on an armored Humvee is mounted to an operator controlled rotating turret on the top of the vehicle. The difficulty in realistically simulating such an environment is that such a simulation typically involves large, heavy, mechanical mock-ups that do not lend themselves to being portable. Thus, there is a trade-off between presenting a realistic simulation and the transportability of such a simulation system.